Thanks for your feedback. I do have a bit of width + toe room in 8.5D in Barrie last so hopefully 9D in suede chukka on Leydon last will be fine. If not, back to TSM they go. For the price I paid I hope I can keep these

Thanks! I usually wear a brown CXL belt with these. If im going super casual, I may even wear a natural colored belt, which is a closer match to the edge trim of the boots. I'm not much of a stickler for matching shoe and belt colors exactly. It's one of those things I think most people put way too much thought into.

I agree; I'm not into too much matchy matchy. I have a natural leather Tanner belt that I wear with pretty much everything except for black.

Hey Guys help me out! I've found several Alden I need to decide about:

993 Saddle in Black Shell Barrie last FD $399

or

97285 Wing Tip-Bal in Whiskey Tremont last $714

From what I can tell, the Tremont fits very similar tot he Barrie last. Is this correct?

Both are 13D so I'm not sure about the fit yet. The 14C I'm wearing today is a Barrie and I can fit my entire finger behind my heel with the shoe on. I know a pair of 13E LHS Brooks Brothers in shell fit good. So I'm hopeful a 13D Barrie will work.

Which one would you get?

See Ya,

Steve

If 13D Barrie fits well, the Tremont last 13D should work. If the size is right, I would go with the whiskey wt bal!! Great shoe

In the grand scheme of things...shell cordovan shoes likely account for 1% or less of the shoes that a cobbler sees for repair or re-crafting. Based on what I know about high end cowboy boots and how they are lasted, stretching a truly well made boot, regardless of hide will net very little gain. I've seen brand new boots ruined where the hide indeed split because of a stretching attempt. If you have a small area that rubs you wrong, or need a small area stretched that's fine to tweak. However expecting anymore than a small tweak is risky at best IMHO. I feel this experience holds true in shell cordovan shoes. Most of the stretch is removed during lasting, otherwise the shoes won't look good long term. Basically stretch at your own risk!